Xylophone



Patented Jan. 4, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE XYLOPHONE Harry Zimmerman, New York, N. Y.

Application November 3, 1944, Serial No. 561,680

1 Claim. 1

My invention relates to xylophones or similar instruments or toys which comprise a series of tone or sounding bars.

Objects of my invention are to support the tone bars exclusively at their lower surface and in a manner permitting unimpaired vibration of the entire lengths of the bars, to make the support soft or resilient to a certan degree, to secure the resilient supporting means firmly at definite places and at places positioned directly under the supported bars, and to provide a supporting structure for the bars that will not cause the bars to make substantial lateral movements when struck.

Other objects are to secure a spaced relationship of the bars without interfering with their free vibration and with the stated objects of advantageous support, and to enable the bars to produce clear, loud and predetermined musical tones.

Further objects are to protect the hands of the player and other bodies from contact with the end edges of the bars which may be unfinished or sharp and may be apt to cause injuries, to provide a structure giving this protection and, nevertheless, permitting sound waves originating from the ends of the bars to radiate in a broad plane and expanding in unbroken circles into the open, and to increase the quality and the quantity of the sound production.

Still other objects are to attain these results with simple and inexpensive and reliable means and with a structure which can be easily and inexpensively made and assembled.

Still further objects and advantages will appear from the following description of exemplifying embodiments of the invention, from the appended claim and from the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of an illustrative embodiment of my invention.

Fig. 2 shows a horizontal elevation of the same embodiment, seen from the upper side, the frame being shown in a cross-section taken along the line 2-2 in Fig. 3.

Fig. 3 shows a vertical cross-section of the same embodiment, taken along the line 3-3 in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 shows a vertical cross-section of the same embodiment, taken along the line 4-4 in Fig. 2 and seen from the right side.

Fig. 5 shows a perspective view of another illustrative embodiment.

Fig. 6 shows a horizontal elevation of the latter embodiment, seen from the lower side.

Fig. 7 shows a vertical cross-section of the latter embodiment, taken along the line 'l--'= in Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 shows a vertical cross-section of the latter embodiment, taken along the line 8-8 in Fig. 6 and seen from the right side.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 4, numeral l indicates a frame comprising two lateral walls 2 which may be connected by two end plates or end walls 3 reaching down to the level on which the instrument is supported by any suitable means, for example by a table. Each wall 2 contains a channel A running throughout the length of the wall which is provided with an upper ledge 5 forming the ceiling of the channel 4 and with a lower ledge B forming the bottom of the chanhe]. The ledges 5 and B may be integral parts of the wall 2 or of the frame I. Both ledges extend to the inner side, the lower ledge 6 farther than the upper ledge 5. The inner side and a part of the upper side of each channel 4 are uninterruptedly open. The frame or its parts 2, 3, 5 and 6 may be made of any suitable material, for example of wood or plastics.

A strip 1 is afi'ixed to the inner side of either ledge 6 and extends along this ledge in a substantially vertical plane. The upper parts of the strips 1 are interrupted by a number of gaps formed by extensions 8 which may have semicircular shapes. Preferably, every gap of one strip 1 is juxtapositioned to a gap of the other strip 7. The strips 1 may be made of any suitable material, for example of cardboard or wood.

A narrow layer or strip 9 of felt or any other suitable and similarly soft or resilient material is aflixed on the upper surface of either ledge 6 and is positioned substantially parallel and adjacent to the respective strip 1. The upper surfaces of the layers 9 are somewhat higher than the bottoms of the gaps formed in the strips I.

A number of tone or sounding bars iii are positioned across the space between the walls 2 and have ends passing through the gaps in the strips 1, supported by the layers 9, entering the channels 4 and spaced from the wall 2. The gaps are broader than the bars l0 whereby the strip '1 holds the bars loosely in spaced relationship and the bars can elude any contact, except that with the soft layers 9 at the lower surfaces of the bars. The strips and the ledges 5, together, prevent the bars from falling out of the frame or from substantial displacement. The bars are, however, free to vibrate in any direction. They may be made of metal, glass, wood or any other suitable and sound producing material and may have any suitable shape, for example, their crosssections may form arcs of which the end points rest on the layers 9.

The walls 2 and the ledges 5 separate the end surfaces of the bars I!) protectively from the outside. These end surfaces are concealed in the recesses or channels 4. Nevertheless, the sound waves 01' air vibrations originatin from the end parts of the bars can reach the open and the ears of the listeners without any substantial obstruction, due to the broad and uninterrupted openings of the channels 4.

In the embodiment described with reference to Figs. 1 to 4, the channels receiving the ends of the tone bars are open at the inner and upper sides, In other embodiments, these channels may be open at other sides instead or in addition. For example, the ends of the bars may enter protective channels which are open throughout their length at the lower side and at a part of the outer side. A modification of this kind is shown in Figs. 5 to 8.

Referring to these figures, ll indicates a frame having two lateral walls 12 and two end plates l3. Each wall l2 comprises an upper ledge 15 whereby the wall forms a channel I having an angular cross-section. Two ledges 16 have ends affixed to the end plates l3 and support layers 19 similar to the layers 9 described before.

A strip I1 is affixed to either wall l2 or its ledge l5, extends about parallel to this wall below this ledge in a substantially vertical plane, and has a number of gaps or windows 18. Preferably, eachgap l8 of one strip i7 is juxtapositioned to a similar gap of the other strip IT. The bottoms of the gaps l8 are, lower than the upper surfaces of the layers 19.

A number of tone bars 20 which may be sim,- ilar to the tone bars 10 are supported by the layers l9 and have ends passing through the gaps l8 and enterin the channels 14. The gaps [8 are larger than the cross-sections of the bars 20.

The parts of the embodiment shown in Figs. 5 to 8 may be made of similar material as the corresponding parts of the embodiment shown in Figs. 1 to 4. The remarks concerning the functions and the advantages of the first described embodiment apply to the second embodiment correspondingly.

I desire it understood that my invention is not confined to the particular embodiments shown and described, the same being merely illustrative, and that my invention may be carried out in other Ways Without departin from the spirit of my invention as it is obvious that the embodiments shown and described are only a few of the many that may be employed to attain the objects of my invention.

Having described the nature of my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A Xylophone comprising a frame, including lateral walls having inwardly extending upper and lower ledges defining inner channels extending longitudinally of the lateral walls, the lower ledges projecting inwardly of the frame beyond he upper led es and a n s d e s. s s tending along the side edges oi the lower ledges and P jecting up a herefrom and fo med with recesses spaced iron; each other longitudinally of the strips, soft pads l I QIi the lower ledges having portions exposed through lower portions f e cess s, a sound ar ex en ng tran ve sehr of he fr me. th s u d r e n of less width than the recesses and having end portions passing through the recesses and reste ing upon the pads with their side edges spaced f om s es o the ec ses nd he e ds spewed from walls of the channels.

HARRY ZIMMERMAN.

EF RENCE C TED Ihe followingreferences are of record in the file of 'this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,323,132 Welch Nov. 25, 1919 2,215,358 Konikofi Sept. 17, 1940 2,279,143 Lohr Apr. 7, 1942 2,317,165 Zimmerman Apr. 20, 1943 

